A toy helicopter is believed to have been used in an attempt to smuggle drugs into a prison.

Guards at Elmley Prison in Sheerness, Kent, spotted the remote control miniature aircraft flying over the walls of the jail and heading for the accommodation blocks one night after it was picked up by CCTV cameras.

It had a small load beneath the fuselage, thought to contain drugs.

The toy or its cargo was not found.
Toy helicopter

Night flight: A toy helicopter was spotted flying over the walls of a jail with its fuselage thought to contain drugs

However, staff could not find any trace of either the helicopter or the package which it appeared to be carrying underneath it when they searched the Category C jail.

'Using a mini-helicopter to get contraband into jails is unprecedented. When officers spotted it they nearly fell off their chairs', a prison source told the Sun.

'It could have been drugs or a mobile phone in the package. It is possible it was a dummy run.'
Elmley Prison

Target: The remote control toy helicopter was spotted heading for the accommodation blocks at Elmley Prison

The Prison Service confirmed the incident took place.

A spokesman said: 'A remote control helicopter was flown into the grounds of HMP Elmley on December 23.

'As a result of this, a search of the prison grounds and an accommodation block were carried out and nothing was found.'

Elmley Prison

Daring raid: An aerial view of the prison grounds where the toy was flown in last month